A new Scottish AI platform will help land managers blend ecology with sustainable economic development practices.
Rethink Carbon’s software can generate comprehensive natural capital reports, uncover grant funding opportunities, and bring to life land use scenarios like woodland creation and peatland restoration.
As a result, land managers will be able to make informed decisions, factoring in both environmental and commercial sustainability, promoting biodiversity and maximising carbon capture and storage.
Mark Caulfield, co-founder and chief executive of Rethink Carbon, said: “Making the right decisions on how best to use their land is key to both the financial security of landowners as well as important in the battle against climate change. Our platform allows users to easily explore multiple scenarios to assess a wider range of future land use options than ever before, leading to new opportunities and improved outcomes.
“At Rethink Carbon, we embody the principle of ‘Making it easy to do the right thing,’ blending ecological stewardship with economic vitality. Anyone can use our platform, regardless of their expertise or location.”
One of the first organisations to trial the Rethink Platform was the Tweed Forum which works to protect, enhance, and restore the rich natural, built, and cultural heritage of the river Tweed and its tributaries.
Jamie Buchanan-Jardine, director of Castlemilk and Corrie Estates, said: “I used the Rethink Platform extensively for a month and, in my opinion, it is the most innovative mapping technology currently available to land managers. It is a user-friendly system that saves weeks’ worth of work, gives a clear visual representation of data and untangles the Scottish Government website all in one. I will be subscribing to the full service as soon as it goes live.”
Aviemore-based Rethink Carbon was formed in 2022 by Mark Caulfield and Dr Zoë Russell in response to a Challenge set by CivTech Scotland, the ‘world’s first Government-run accelerator for digital public services’. In 2023, the company secured £200,000 from South of Scotland Enterprise to develop the platform for launch, with further support from CENSIS Technology Solutions (CTS).